Rep Auction — Squat | Friends

Quick Intro

Rep Auction is an auction where the prize is the chance to prove yourself. Two partners take turns bidding on a number of squats. One opens: “15 squats”. The other can raise: “20”. The bidding goes back and forth until one partner passes. The last partner to bid must then do that many squats, with clean form, while the other counts. If they make it, they win the round. If they stop short or their form falls apart, the partner who passed wins.

The game is all about judging yourself and reading the other person. Bid too low and your partner raises past you. Bid too high and you are stuck doing more squats than you can manage well.

How to do a good squat, feet about shoulder width, hips back and down, knees following the toes, is taught at Bodyweight Squat. This guide covers the game: bidding, the cap, passing, judging the reps and how fatigue changes later rounds.

What You’ll Need

Two people.
A clear patch of floor.
A chair, if either partner is using the chair-assisted handicap.
A phone or paper to keep score.

How to Play

Agree the cap, the smallest raise allowed and the light-hearted stake for each round.
One partner opens with a bid, for example “15 squats”.
The other partner either raises, with a higher bid up to the cap, or passes.
Bidding continues until someone passes.
The partner who made the last bid does that many squats straight away, at a steady pace. The partner who passed counts out loud.
If every rep is clean and the count is reached, the bidder wins the round. If they stop or a rep breaks form, the partner who passed wins it.
The loser of the round takes the stake.
Rest, then play another round with the other partner opening.

The Bidding

Every raise goes up by at least the agreed amount, usually one or two reps. A raise of one keeps the bidding close and tense.
Nobody can bid above the cap. A partner who bids the cap has made the final bid, since nobody can raise it.
Passing is always allowed. It is a normal move, and often the smart one. Passing on a bid you think your partner cannot make is how rounds are won.

Agree the Cap First

The cap is the most important rule. Without it, two stubborn friends can bid each other up to a number that neither should be doing in one go. Before the first round, agree a top bid that both partners could manage with good form on a fresh day, for example 40 squats. Keep it the same for the whole session.

The cap also shapes the game. A low cap makes rounds quick and close. A high cap gives room for bluffing and longer bidding wars.

Judging the Reps

The partner who passed counts and judges. A clean rep:

Reaches the agreed depth, usually the hip crease level with or just below the top of the knee.
Comes back up to full standing, hips and knees straight.
Keeps the heels on the floor and the knees tracking over the toes.

A rep that misses the standard does not count, and the counter says so straight away. Agree that one missed rep is a warning and two end the attempt, or that any miss ends it. Choose one rule and keep it.

How Fatigue Builds

Only the bidder squats in each round, so fatigue builds unevenly. A partner who has made three bids in a row has tired legs, and the other partner knows it. That is part of the strategy, and it is also why rest between rounds matters. Two or three minutes lets the legs recover enough for an honest next bid. After five or six rounds, most pairs are done.

Making It Fair

A partner who finds bodyweight squats harder can fulfil any bid with chair-assisted squats: sitting lightly to a chair behind them and standing back up. The bids stay the same numbers for both partners, so the bidding is still a real contest. Agree this before starting. Training With a Friend covers this kind of handicap in more detail.

Staying Safe

Respect the cap. It exists so that pride never sets the number.
Stopping is always fine. A bidder who feels pain or loses form stops at once. It loses the round and nothing more.
Steady pace. Racing through squats to beat fatigue leads to bouncing at the bottom and knees caving in.
Keep the stake light. Picking the next song, carrying the kit back or a high five are plenty.

Common Mistakes

Bidding on pride. The best bid is the one you can actually do well.
Forgetting to pass. Players new to the game raise every time. Passing on a high bid is often the winning move.
Loose counting. The counter must count only clean reps.
Not resting. Back-to-back rounds turn the game into a squat marathon.

Fitting It Into a Session

Rep Auction is a fun leg block for the middle of a session or a light finisher. It needs no equipment, so it suits a park, a hotel room or a garden. For balancing it with the rest of the day, see Building a Partner Session.

Getting Better Over Time

Note the winning bids each session. As leg endurance improves, both partners make higher bids. Once most rounds reach the cap, raise it a little for the next session.

Rep Bet and Gamble Games have each partner bid on their own reps against their own mark.
Truth or Squat mixes squats with questions.
Escalation Dare dares a partner to hold for longer and longer.
Work-Rest Relay includes a squat version that shares a big total with no winner.

FAQ

Can the opener pass straight away?

No. The opener has to bid. The other partner can pass on that opening bid, which leaves the opener to do it.

What if the bid reaches the cap?

Then that is the final bid, and the partner who made it squats.

Can the bidder rest before squatting?

No. The squats start straight after the pass, so a bid has to account for the legs as they are right now.